Managed Services Agreements

The Agreement – when you pick a Managed Services Provider there is a ton of time and attention placed on the legal terms.  The Whereas’s and Therefore’s all seem to run together – you try in vain to decipher the terms and piece together what has been promised so far and that is actually on the paper.

Unfortunately for businesses, these agreements are carefully crafted to protect the provider and not the customer.  Here are the top things to look out for in a Managed Services Agreements – even one you’ve already signed.

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Upcoming Webinar: The Growth Trap–How To Shift From Working IN Your Business To Working ON Your Business

Please Join Us For Our July 17, 2018 Webinar!

Title: How To Shift From Working IN Your Business To Working ON Your Business
Date and Time: Tue, July 17, 2018 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Presenter: Will Barfield, CEO of Barfield Revenue Consulting

Moderator: Eric Hobbs, CEO of Technology Associates

“I can’t step away.”

How many times have you secretly thought this to yourself? If this describes you, I’m guessing you:

  • Have a finger in every pie: You feel you have to be involved juuuuust a little bit in every department’s projects to make sure they’re doing it right.
  • Find yourself bringing on “good enough” staff to alleviate surface level solutions to deeper needs within your business. No, that new hire isn’t quite what you were looking for, but they’ll do for right now…or will they?
  • Always have to be “on” – even when you’re not at work, you’re at work. Anxiety and concerns from the office creep into your downtime with your family and friends.  You can never be fully away. Your greatest fear? Like Atlas, if you shrug, the weight of your business (and your whole world for that matter) are going to come crashing down on you.

What’s worse is that you know that if you go on in this way, the pace isn’t sustainable. You are likely to fail in multiple areas, including letting down your team, your clients, and even your family.

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How To Unplug, Turn Off, And Be Present On Your 2018 Summer Vacation

When it's time to turn off and unplug for summer vacation.

Getting ready to take that summer vacation with your family? Here’s your crash course for how to turn off technology and unplug from the office, social media, and other irrelevant “notifications” (AKA interruptions) that distract you from being present with your family and friends on your summer vacation.

It’s 1996. You’re packing for your much-needed vacation with your family. You walk through the airport to your gate (TSA who?) Maybe listen to your Sony Walkman on the flight. Your kids fight over who gets to listen to the new Backstreet Boys CD on the Panasonic Mash, they work it out eventually. Upon arrival to the resort everyone slathers up in coconut-scented sunblock, you style it up with some zinc for your nose, grab a book, a cooler, and spend the reach of the day soaking up some serious rays. You take turns rotating with family members or ask a stranger to snap 2-3 obligatory summer vacation family photos with your disposable camera (because there was no such thing as a selfie), and then its smooth sailing with Mai Tai’s and Pina Coladas for the rest of the day.

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Why Letting Your Staff Deal With IT Issues Doesn’t Save You Money

Letting your staff deal with IT issues doesn’t save money and in many cases has a huge negative impact on the larger costs in the business.

I often hear business owners tell me that they have one of their staff handle IT issues before calling in their IT provider.  It usually boils down to costs – something which has their hand on the throttle and can triage problems first “fixing the easy ones” then trying to set and manage expectations with their Managed Services Provider when they do need to pass something along.  The fear here is that the problem will drag on and on and result in some humongous bill.

I get it – understand precisely why they think this way, but I see things differently.  This approach doesn’t save money and in many cases has a substantial negative impact on the larger costs in the business.

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Webinar Recap: How To Avoid Falling Victim To An Email Phishing Scam

phishing scam

Title: How To Avoid Falling Victim To An Email Phishing Scam
Date and Time: Tue, June 12, 2018 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
Presenter: Eric Hobbs, CEO of Technology Associates

Email Phishing Scams represent the single largest threat to your businesses Cybersecurity stance. By the time you realize you’ve fallen victim it is too late to do anything about it – putting at risk your customer’s data and your business’ reputation. By the way, traditional defenses such as anti-virus/anti-malware, security patches, and anti-spam software, while foundational to a proper security stance, often fail to stand up to the onslaught of today’s hacking methods.

Join Eric Hobbs, President of Technology Associates, as he outlines methods all users should be aware of to avoid falling victim to a scam, including;

  • Current Statistics On Phishing Emails
  • The 4 Most Common Tactics Hackers Use
  • Why Phishing Attacks Work
  • The Most Successful Email Phishing Templates
  • The Most See Email Phishing Templates
  • How to Spot Phishing Emails
  • BEC / Spear Phishing
  • Prevention Tips
  • What To Do If You Fall Victim
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Megan Fox, Your Flight Status, And Traverse City: 12 Cool Ways to Boost Productivity With Windows’ Virtual Assistant Cortana

12 Ways to Boost Productivity using Cortana, Windows' Virtual AssistantThe adage “Time is Money” is never so relevant than when it comes to navigating through your Windows operating system to knock out your business’s week’s to-do list and boost productivity. Consider this: Let’s say you spend 5-8 seconds browsing through a menu to pull up a calendar, move appointments that have rescheduled, or using your pesky URL search bar to google irrelevant facts about celebrities, the average user spends 15-25 minutes a week on inefficient productivity processes within their Windows devices.

Our solution? Save those precious wrists, fingers from carpal tunnel, and eyes from strain and fatigue; use Cortana!

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Building A Social Media Policy That Protects Your Business

Building a social media policy in your business to protect your brand and your employees.Social media is very influential in many aspects of our daily life, and the workforce is no exception. 

Used correctly, social media can be one of the most powerful tools in your tool belt when it comes to marketing, cultivating loyalty amidst clients and building your business. Misused, it can damage social perception, destroy connections and drive a negative image of your brand’s products and services. In this article, we’re diving into how to create a social media policy that protects and nurtures your business and brand culture.

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5 Overlooked Security Considerations For Remote Workers

There’s never been more freedom and autonomy in the workforce than today. However, with all this freedom comes great responsibility and security tops the list when working remotely.

Hackers love easy targets and when you extend the corporate network by working remotely or taking work devices into public spaces you are unknowingly inviting someone to take a peek.

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Managed Services Tiers – Part 2

If your Managed Services Company has a tiered approach to services and you picked the “Gold/Platinum” or “Complete” plan you probably aren’t getting what you paid for.

It’s not the service tiers that are the best indicator of success, it is the business model your vendor uses to ensure consistent delivery of services that you need to review closely to avoid getting disappointed.

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